William Rotsler, author, artist, sculptor, photographer, and cartoonist extraordinaire, died suddenly October 18, 1997, at the home of his friend, Paul Turner. He recently had throat cancer surgery. In the last few years, he had a heart attack and bypass surgery, and various other severe illnesses.

Rotsler's cartoons and drawings delighted and amazed friends and fans for 50 years. In 1996, he was given Hugo and Retro-Hugo awards for work 50 years apart. He won his fifth Best Fan Artist Hugo Award just this year. His spare, laconic drawing style masked an ability to look at life, described by Harry Warner in A Wealth of Fable, as "funny on the surface, terrifying a millimeter beneath to anyone whose eye could penetrate."

William Rotsler was born 3 July 1926 in Los Angeles, California. He worked on a ranch in Camarillo as a teenager, and served in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1945, learning the profession of photographer. He discovered fandom in the mid-'40s and was part of the Los Angeles fan scene for over 50 years. He attended Los Angeles County Art Institute, 1947-50, and worked as a sculptor of mainly outdoor modern work from 1950 to 1959, then gave it up to become a photographer, filmmaker, producer, director of commercials, documentaries, etc. He worked mainly in the "erotic" industries, selling photos to Playboy, writing columns for Knight and other men's magazines, writing, directing, or acting(!) -- or some combination of these -- in such movies as The Agony of Love (1966), Notorious Daughter of Fanny Hill (1966), Shannon's Women (1969), and The Secret Sex Life of Romeo and Juliet (1970). He frequently used fan friends as extras in his movies. This part of his career mostly ended by the '70s. During all this, his prodigious output of cartoons and drawings continued unabated. He was fan Guest of Honor at the World SF Convention in 1973.

He also became a professional writer in the '70s, first producing non-fiction book Contemporary Erotic Cinema (1973) and then his first and best novel, Patron of the Arts (1974). To the Land of the Electric Angels (1976) was also noteworthy. He collaborated with Gregory Benford on Shiva Descending (1980). Most of his books were movie and TV tie-ins or children's fiction such as Tom Swift books with Sharman DiVono under the name of Victor Appleton, Jr. His most recent book was Science Fictionaries (1995), a collection of sayings and quotes from SF writers.

NEW EDITION: Patron Of The Arts

NEW EDITION: The Far Frontier

NEW EDITION: To The Land Of The Electric Angel

NEW EDITION: Contemporary Erotic Cinema

William "Bill" Rotsler

(born Charles William Rotsler)

(b. July 3, 1926 - d. October 8, 1997)

Photo By Paul Turner

William Charles Rotsler was truly a renaissance man: acclaimed novelist and short story writer, much-admired artist and illustrator, a celebrated filmmaker, and – how he is perhaps best remembered – and as a warm and special part of science fiction fandom.

As an author, William Charles Rotsler was as prolific as he was diverse: beginning with "Ship Me Tomorrow" (Galaxy, 1970) he wrote dozens of excellently-received stories and received Nebula (1972) and Hugo (1973) nominations for his novella, Patron Of The Arts (later expanded into a novel). His word has been featured extensively in numerous "Best of the Year" and "Nebula Award" collections.

Many of his stories and novels have been translated and published in French, German, Spanish and Italian. Under his own name, Rotsler wrote To the Land of the Electric Angel(1976), the Zandra series (Zandra and The Hidden Worlds of Zandra), and Shiva Descending (1980) with Gregory Benford.

William Charles Rotsler also wrote many books under different pseudonyms including John Ryder Hall, William Arrow, and others for such properties as Marvel Comics, Star Trek, Tom Swift, and others. In Star Trek fandom, William Charles Rotsler will always be remembered for giving Lt. Uhura the first name of Nyota in one of his Star Trek novels.

As an artist, William Charles Rotsler contributed to the sculpture at the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters as well as to creation the Nebula Award trophies. But it as a cartoonist that Rotsler is perhaps best as an artist remembered for, having received five Hugo awards for his work that appeared in fanzines, convention program books, as well as magazines such as Locus, and many others. He will always be fondly remembered for his spontaneous charactures and sketches, often done on hotel tablecloths during science fiction conventions.

To honor Rotsler, The Southern California Institute for Fan Interests created the William Rotsler Award in 1998; given to lifetime achievements by SF fan artists.

William Charles Rotsler was also a recognized by many as a visionary filmmaker and photographer, with his photographs appearing in scores of magazines from Skin Diver to Playboy. He helped Piccard set the first/hot air balloon record, been dropped out of helicopters to the decks of destroyers, and photographed the first man to fly a hang glider into the Grand Canyon.

William Charles Rotsler made dozens of short and feature length films – many adult in nature – writing and editing 24 of the 26 features he directed. Working with such luminaries as Bill Warren and Harry Novak (whose career he helped launch), his films include Agony of Love, Mantis in Lace, Street Of 1000 Pleasures, and others. He is also the author of the non-fiction book Contemporary Erotic Cinema.

Beyond his resume, however, William Charles Rotsler – Bill to his friends – will always be remembered as a caring, passionate, warm, and always with a sparkling sense of humor. This site is dedicated to William Charles Rotsler with hope that it will both celebrate his life and art and to re-introduce him to a new generation.

Special thanks his friend Paul Turner, whose support and friendship has allowed us to introduce William Rotsler to a whole new generation of readers and fans